Development of former Steel land enters fast lane

The development of the Bethlehem Commerce industrial and commercial park on idle Bethlehem Steel land took a significant step Thursday with the approval of preliminary plans by the Bethlehem Planning Commission for a 32-lot subdivision.

The 265-acre tract, known as Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII, could have final plans submitted before the new year under a ''fast-track'' development plan, according to Kerry Wrobel, president of Lehigh Valley Industrial Park Inc.

''The hope is we'll be submitting final plans for Phase I before Christmas,'' Wrobel said.

The first phase calls for development of about half of the 265-acre tract.

LVIP VII would become the first component of a much larger industrial park that is to be developed on 1,600 acres of former Bethlehem Steel land.

The preliminary plan calls for the acreage to be divided into 32 lots, ranging in size from 4 acres along Route 412 to 32 acres at the northern end of the property. Six of the lots are on the south side of Route 412. The subdivision stretches along 412 from Daly Avenue to Shimerville Road.

The smaller lots along the highway, which will be the most visible part of the first phase of development, will be high-end flex office space that could possibly include retail and commercial space, Wrobel said.

It would be the first time LVIP's industrial parks would offer retail space.

Wrobel said locating offices along the road would provide ''a quality gateway into the city.''

Less aesthetically pleasing industrial uses such as manufacturing and warehousing would be in the northern interior of the property, where they would be less visible to passers-by.

The interior lots will be serviced by long cul-de-sacs with the entire site ringed by a paved emergency access road for fire, police and medical personnel.

The cul-de-sacs, ranging from 1,600 feet to 3,900 feet, were granted a variance by the planners who waived a 500-foot limitation on the dead-end streets.

The development also calls for aligning the Emery Street gate with Lynn Avenue and installing a traffic signal.

According to Wrobel, no users have signed deals with LVIP, but there has been considerable interest in redeveloping the brownfields site  the largest of its kind in the country.

LVIP will develop the infrastructure for the site by building roads and running utilities to the properties. It will then sell the parcels to developers.

Wrobel said there is no cost estimate for the infrastructure work.

Redevelopment of Bethlehem Steel land, which accounts for one-eighth of the city's land mass, had been slowed by a federal lawsuit. In June, Preferred Real Estate of Conshohocken filed the lawsuit claiming it had a valid agreement to buy part of the former Steel land for $4 million from International Steel Group of Cleveland.

At the time, ISG had planned to announce deals to sell 1,550 acres to LVIP for a business park and 153 acres to the Delaware Valley Real Estate Investment Fund for a $450 million entertainment and retail complex called Bethlehem Works. But the announcements were put off until the litigation could be resolved.

The land being developed by LVIP is unaffected by the suit. While the land is under agreement of sale, LVIP has not held settlement on the property, according to Wrobel.